


Nightmares

by Irisly



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 06:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12698868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irisly/pseuds/Irisly
Summary: Rory's fear of Asra rejecting her feelings for him has projected onto her dreams.





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Do not take this work seriously. This is the first time I've written anything in YEARS. I just have a lot of feelings for Asra and how much he adores his apprentice.

“This is getting ridiculous...” Rory pushed the palm of her hand against her forehead, the pounding headache making it unbearable to think straight. She just had a dream about Asra again. One where she was wrapped tightly in his arms, receiving kisses on her head as he lightly traced circles along her back. This crush she had was getting out of control.

 

Asra knocked on the open door and peaked his head in. “Are you alright, Rory?” She could hear the concern in his voice. It made her slightly happy that he was worried about her.

 

“I’m ok, just another headache,” she said as she rested her hand on her lap and raised her head to look at him.

 

He entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’ve...been getting those a lot lately.” He rested his hand on her arm.

 

She turned away, already feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. She couldn’t look him in the eye anymore. “I’m alright. They go away after a while.”

 

That didn’t convince him, obviously. He always constantly worried about her. She understood that his concern was more like an older brother had with his sister. She knew he could never feel the same way she did. She accepted that, but it didn’t stop the pain from piercing her heart every time she looked at him.

 

“Alright, but let me know when you get another one.” He patted her arm and left the room, probably to get the shop ready to open.

 

She sighed once again as she got up from the bed. After getting ready, she headed towards the entrance of the shop, turning over the sign on the door to “OPEN.” Today was another day.

 

—

 

“I love you.” Rory’s confession escaped her mouth as she looked up at her master. Her mouth seemed to have moved on it’s own, without her consent.

 

Asra looked down at clay with a mixture of disgust and regret. “I don’t…I wish you hadn’t said that.” He said, while putting his fingers to his temples. He let out an exaggerated sigh.

 

Rory started to feel panic rise up in her chest. “I…I’m sorry! Please forget I said anything.” She could hear the desperation in her voice. How could she be so stupid? Why did she confess her love for him when she knew he didn’t feel the same way?

 

Asra let out another sigh. “I’m sorry Rory, but if your feelings for me is going to get in the way of your apprenticeship, I’m going to have to let you go.” He turned around and started gathering her things, putting them in a bag.

 

“N-no! Please, it won’t get in the way.” She was clutching onto his sleeve now. “I’ll do anything if you let me stay.” Asra shrugged her hand from his sleeve and continued to stuff her things into a bag. Tears began to sting her eyes and the realization began to wash over her.

 

“You need to leave, Rory.” He shoved the bag into her arms without even looking her in the eye. She looked up at him. He wasn’t even sad that she was leaving. “Did you honestly think I could ever feel that way about you? You are my apprentice, nothing more.”

 

Suddenly, she was outside the shop. The closed door seemed to be taunting her, knowing that she can never enter the building as Asra’s apprentice again. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream. She wanted to barge in the shop and beg Asra to take her back. She couldn’t bear not being with him.

 

She peered into the window of the shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of her former master. She gasped softly as she saw Asra with another apprentice, teaching them the things that she was taught. However, this new apprentice was much better than her…they were able to grasp things that took her weeks to learn. The smile on Asra’s face as he taught his new apprentice made her heart ache.

 

As she reached out to turn the doorknob, the shop suddenly began to move away from her. She ran after it, keeping her hand outstretched, hoping to catch it somehow. But it just kept moving farther away, until she could keep up with it anymore.

 

Soon, the shop was so far away that she couldn’t see it anymore. Dropping to her knees in the darkness, she began to sob.

 

Her crying was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps walking toward her. Soon, she saw a pair of shoes in her sights as she looked down. She immediately recognized them as Asra’s. She looked up with a smile, but it quickly faded when she saw the look on his face.

 

“You brought this on yourself. Why would I ever love someone like you?” His words cut deep into her heart, slashing it into pieces. He began to walk away into the darkness, leaving Rory a broken mess on the ground, her heart shattered.

 

As she continued to cry, she felt her body shake violently. Her vision began to fade as she saw Asra’s back in the distance. She tried to stand up and-

 

“Huh?! What?” She sat up in her bed sharply, and began to feel that familiar dull pain return to her head.

 

“Rory, are you alright?! You were screaming in your sleep!” She turned to see her master’s face close to hers. He looked terrified. Was that all just a dream?

 

“I…I’m alright. Just a nightmare.” She tore her eyes away from his gaze, heat rising in her cheeks. She couldn’t help but wonder, was he really worried because he truly cared for her? Or was he only concerned for his apprentice who he had an obligation to look after. She didn’t notice that tears were falling from her eyes until Asra pulled her into an embrace.

 

“Do you want to talk about it? You worried me there.” He rubbed her back as he held her tightly in his arms.

 

She was conflicted. If she told him, he would know about her feelings for him. If she didn’t, he would get the feeling that she didn’t trust him, which was the complete opposite from the truth.

 

“I…don’t know if I should.” Asra pulled away from her and looked at her face, which refused to meet eye contact. He kept his hands on her shoulders.

 

“You know you can tell me anything. I would never judge you.”

 

“If I told you, you would know things that I…would rather keep secret.” That’s the best excuse she could come up with. She didn’t want to tell him, but she didn’t want to lie to him either. “Also, you probably wouldn’t like it.”

 

That confused him. What could have possibly happened in that dream that could upset him? He couldn’t understand what she was thinking. Perhaps some of her memory returned and she didn’t know how to process it.

 

“I assure you, whatever it is you have to tell me, I would never dislike it. Even if I did, we can work it out together. Ok?” Rory finally glimpsed at Asra’s face. His genuine concern for her was written all over his face. His comforting words gave her the confidence to tell him…well….maybe not EVERYTHING that happened in the dream.

 

As she paraphrased her dream, he listen closely. He never interrupted, and kept his eyes on her the entire time. She left out the part where she confessed her feelings for him, and just told him that he one day decided to send you away.

 

“That’s awful, Rory. But something doesn’t add up…why would I dislike that?” He was starting to catch on that she left out some details. She couldn’t…she couldn’t keep lying to him. She knew that Asra would never act like he did in that nightmare, but she had no idea how he was going to react to her feelings.

 

“I…left out a crucial detail. The reason why you stopped being my master.” She fought tears as she tried to muster up the courage to tell him how she felt. She was so filled with fear. Fearful because of the unknown. Then…she let the words leave her lips.

 

“I told you that I love you.” She looked at him again to see his reaction. His eyes were wide open, obviously in shock of what she said to him. Her heart began to beat faster, and the anxiety was beginning to overwhelm her. But it was too late now, so she might as well keep going.

 

“Once I told you my feelings, you said you only thought of me as apprentice…nothing more than that. Not even as a friend.” She couldn’t look at him in the eyes anymore out of fear of what she might see in them. “I’m so sorry, master. I understand if you wish to send me away, but I just couldn’t keep lying to you anymore.”

 

Suddenly, she was engulfed into a tight embrace. Her eyes opened wide in surprise as Asra held her, burying his face into her neck. “Oh, Rory. Did you really feel as though I could never feel the same way as you? I’m so sorry that you ever got that impression.”

 

Rory couldn’t fight back her tears any longer. She held him back tightly. Relief. He wasn’t angry with her, or upset. He understood. He understood and returned her confession with compassion.

 

“I promise my feelings won’t get in the way of our work. You can just pretend I never said anything if you want.” She was startled when he pulled away from her so quickly, a look of disbelief on his face.

 

“Even after I said that, you still don’t think I return your feelings?” She stayed silent and look down into her lap. “Oh, Rory, I had no idea you were that insecure.”

 

He gently brought his hand to her face and cupped her cheek. Rory instinctively relaxed into his hand, bringing her own hand to rest on his. “I…wait. Are you saying you also…” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

 

He gave her a sad smile and slowly moved his face towards hers, until they were only inches apart.

 

“Does this answer your question.” He lightly pecked his lips onto hers. It was an experimental kiss. He wanted to see if she was ok with it. For her, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more of him. She just couldn’t believe that he would ever kiss her like that. So gentle, so sweet…she wanted more.

 

She closed the gap again and pressed another light peck onto his lips. She was planning on ending the kiss there, but Asra pulled her back into him again. This kiss wasn’t like the other two. This one was more passionate, almost as if he needed this. He held onto her so closely, afraid that if he let go she would disappear.

 

When they finally ended the kiss, they looked into each other’s eyes. They were so filled with love, relief, happiness…Rory couldn’t help but smile.

 

“I…I never would've imagined…” Rory still was in disbelief at what just happened.

 

“You were sorely mistaken. You are the light of my life.” He caressed her cheek. If only she knew the sorrow he felt everyday after she had lost her memory. How he would reminisce on the memories the two of them shared, knowing they were lost from her mind. Knowing that even after the suffering she went through, after all the memories she lost, she fell in love with him again.

 

“Master…” She whispered. Asra cringed at hearing her call him that again.

 

“You need not call me that Rory.” He held her hand and lightly squeezed it.

 

She waited a moment before finally saying his name.

 

“I love you, Asra.”

 

“I love you, Rory.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm thinking about getting back into writing, so really any criticisms are fine with me!


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